SOCRATES

Question 1

Site

Answer 1

Where does it hurt?
Where exactly?
Can you point the place where it hurts?

Question 2

Onset

Answer 2

When did the pain start?
How long has it been bothering you?
Did it start suddenly or gradually?

Question 3

Character

Answer 3

Can you describe the pain for me?

Does it sharp, dull, piercing, stabbing.. ?

Question 4

Radiation

Answer 4

Does it radiate\spread anywhere?

Question 5

Associations

Answer 5

Have you noticed anything apart from the pain?
Are there any accompanying factors?
What brings the pain on?
What triggers the pain?

Question 6

Time

Answer 6

How long has it been bothering your?
Does the pain constant or intermittent (does it come and go?
Does it hurt all the time or are there painless periods as well?
Does it occur before, during or after meals?
When does the pain usually occur?
When do you usually experience it?-daytime, night or early morning?
How often do you get the pain

Question 7

Exacerbating\Relieving factors

Answer 7

Is there anything that makes the pain worse or better?

Is there anything which relieves the pain?

Question 8

Severity

Answer 8

How strong is the pain?
If you could place it on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means no pain at all, whereas 10 means the worst pain you could ever imagine